Insincere
by Kai Heartnet
Summary: Sequel to Broken! Warning: Character deaths(couldn't be avoided), language, and some other stuff that I haven't thought about but I'll give you a heads up before I do it. This taps into some flashbacks from Dream Thieves, and I hope you all enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Enemy Inside

**A/N: Hey, Hunt Club! So, I wanted to release this chapter yesterday, but the weather's been really weird here and I haven't really had the time. Happily, I'm acing math!(Never happens for me...) So, hope you enjoy! And mucho thanks to the reviewers to Broken! You all rock!**

_**Chapter One: Enemy Inside**_

Whelk growled angrily as the voices in his head got louder and angrier. Even since that incident in Cabeswater with Czerny, he hadn't had any peace. He hadn't had any kind of solace. He had been constantly reminded of what he had done in desperation. Were the voices from Czerny? Whelk wasn't above believing in ghosts. He knew full well the kind of power the ley lines could muster. He knew the curses that they could cast.

Whelk sighed as another wave of pain shot through his skull. He looked down because the lights in his classroom was beginning to hurt his eyes. The first thing he noticed was Gansey's paper.

_Richard Campbell Gansey III_, Whelk thought bitterly. An obvious example of what he _should_ have had. And to find out that the little rich brat was after the Raven King and the royal favor as well...It was more than Whelk wanted to stomach.

"You don't look so good, Barry."

The annoyingly chipper voice of Jonah Milo was another thing that Whelk found hard to swallow. He couldn't understand how anyone was so happy _all the time_. Especially when he had quit smoking not a week before. Whelk grimaced at that. Why did he remember that? Maybe because he found it so confusing as to why the man decided to spend his time focusing on the ungrateful students of Aglionby and its staff, both of which Whelk had a relationship to.

He remembered being one of Aglionby's rich Raven Boys, knowing that the world was waiting on him, instead of him constantly trying to keep up. He remembered having so-called friends flocking around him, hanging on every word he said because it always ended with a dollar sign. He remembered being at the top of the food chain, looking down on the others because he knew his money made him better.

Now he was nothing. He had hit bottom, and he knew exactly how hard the fall was. He grimaced as the voices resonated in his mind, as if agreeing with his thoughts. They thought he was as low as possible too.

Whelk realized that Milo had said something else to him, but he hadn't registered his words, and before he could ask him to repeat, the secretary walked in.

She wore her hair in its customary bun, a sharp pencil holding it all together, but her skirt seemed just a bit shorter, and her shirt seemed just a touch tighter. Jonah didn't seem to notice as she beamed up at him as if he weren't wearing an odd combo of plaid and corduroy. Instead, he kept his concerned focus on Barrington Whelk.

"These. Boys," the secretary huffed as she sat on top of one of the desks closest to Whelk and Milo. She smiled at both of them ruefully. "It's almost enough to make me want to pop some pills."

Though she laughed afterwards, Whelk wondered if she actually would. He wondered if it took something out of you to hurt yourself that way, the same way a piece of his soul-his _sanity_-had been lost when he killed Czerny. Maybe it was only when you ended a life. Only when you realized you had just ripped away not only a life, but a future, an actual child of someone. Whelk didn't believe that the secretary knew how that felt.

"Jonah, wanna come take a smoke break with me before you go?" she asked hopefully, holding up a pack of cigarettes and waving them invitingly.

Milo shook his head.

"I quit," he stated simply, and Whelk didn't miss the disappointment in the secretary's eyes. Still, her smile didn't falter.

"What about you, Barry?" she asked, before something seemed to cross her mind and she shook her head. "No, you're much too pretty for that."

Her tone sounded almost woeful. As if she thought that since his money was taken away, so should his looks have been. But the trails couldn't take away good genes, and her remorse would do nothing but add to Whelk's already increasing headache.

This was as busy as his classroom got when there were no students, but he just wasn't in the mood for friends at the moment.

The secretary, admitting defeat, got up from her perch and headed for the door.

"Well, you know where to find me if either of you change your minds," she smiled slightly, waved, and she was gone.

Whelk noted that she never allowed him to make up his mind in the first place. Still, she had gotten his answer correct regardless. He didn't smoke. Whelk waited for Milo to follow her lead, but he remained at his shoulder, his eyes still full of a concern that Whelk couldn't understand.

He saw Milo as tolerable, and had even held an actual conversation with him in the teachers' lounge every so often, but he wouldn't say they were _friends_. He couldn't understand Milo's concern.

As the seconds turned into minutes, Milo finally decided to take the hint. He gave a slight sigh before running a hand through his hair.

"Hope you get to feeling better," he smiled sweetly before leaving the Latin teacher to his voices. Whelk grimaced. He never mentioned he wasn't feeling well...

_**Gansey**_

I suppose it was bound to happen. Behaving so long, something was bound to happen...She was bound to suffer. She was bound to die. But I wasn't quite sure how I was going to explain it to Ronan...I doubted even Adam could do anything to smooth this over. She had warmed up to all of us, even Jane.

And now she was dead.

***Que dramatic music* So, with that bright and cheerful intro, we begin the sequel of Broken! Since I'm still on a cell, I can't promise when the updates will come, but here's hoping they'll be frequent! Be warned, you'll either get more chapters when mid-terms roll around because I'm a procrastinator, or none because I might **_**actually**_** need to study for math(how the bloody turkey nomnums do you study for freakin' math?) But those are useless problems! I hope you guys like this one like you did Broken! And if you like The Chronicles of Nick, check out my other story! Peace out, Hunt Club!**


	2. Chapter 2: Didaskleinophobia

**A/N: Long time, no see, Hunt Club! Thanks so much for your patience! So, I offer you this chapter in gratitude! P. S. The chapter name is the fear of going to school.**

_**Chapter Two: Didaskleinophobia Adam**_

I sighed at Ronan's brooding. He had his arms crossed as he started at the still form in front of him. He was leaning against his BMW in Monmouth's parking lot, Chainsaw perched on his shoulder. His mood seemed to rub off on her. Her head was hung low and she gave a sorrowful _karak_ in respect for their fallen ally. I rolled my eyes at the pair and got into the passenger seat. Gansey had already left in some large, modern monstrosity that he had gotten yesterday on short notice.

"We're going to be late," I called and Ronan's shoulders stiffened slightly before he yanked the driver's door open. Chainsaw flew from his shoulder in surprise and landed on top of the charcoal vehicle. Instead of getting in, he just looked at me.

"Show a little respect, Parrish."

I rolled my eyes.

"I will tell you the same thing I told Gansey. My boss at the garage can probably fix The Pig. My GPA, however, will not be so easily fixed if I miss anymore school time. So can we please go? I don't know how to drive a stick."

Ronan gave me a smirk that made heat crawl up the back of my neck.

"Don't," I said quickly, raising a hand to stop whatever vulgar comment was going to come out of his mouth.

He made a last minute decision not to bring Chainsaw, and opened Monmouth to let her back in. For a split second, I wondered what it would be like to just skip school for a day and spend it with just Ronan. I quickly shook my head, erasing that thought. While people like Ronan and Gansey could afford to slack on their education, I could not. Ronan returned and got into the car. Oblivious to my recent desires, Ronan began to drive. Without missing a beat-but to my terror, taking his eyes off the road to do so-Ronan gave me a quick kiss.

I couldn't keep the smile from my face as he continued to drive.

The buzz I felt died the moment Aglionby came into view. It was replaced by the fear of someone discovering my new relationship with Ronan. Just imagining Kavinsky's comments alone were enough to make me want to crawl back into the hole that life had decided to stick me in.

But Gansey and Noah had been pretty accepting... Well, after the initial shock.

The memory brought a slight smile to my face.

_Gansey simply stared. They were all crowded in The Pig, driving back from the hospital when Blue _subtly_ hinted that they needed to tell Gansey. I was convinced that Noah had always known, and he wasn't disappointed as the pale teen snickered beside him in the back. Ronan was on his other side and Blue sat up front with Gansey. A pang of guilt still hit me when I thought about our conversation in the hospital._

_"Tell me what?" Gansey had asked as he turned down the road that led to Monmouth._

_I looked to Ronan, who shrugged. He was going to leave it to me? Really? I glared at him, and he gave me that sharp smile that could cut diamonds._

_Gansey pulled into Monmouth Manufacturing's parking lot._

_"Gansey, I'm...gay," I had stated, the word foreign on my tongue._

_To Gansey's credit, he took that pretty well. He glanced at me from the rearview mirror._

_"...Okay?"_

_"And, Gansey...?" I continued._

_"Yes, Adam?" He had replied calmly._

_"Ronan's gay too."_

_There was a silence that was very Ronan-esque, as we all just sat there with The Pig rumbling, as if laughing. Soon, Noah joined her, and began laughing as well._

_"Oh..._Oh_."_

_Gansey's eyes had widened, and he had turned to look at us both. His face reddened slightly, and he turned to face the front again._

_"So...I'm guessing you won't want to stay in Noah's room then...?"_

_And with that, everyone in the car began to laugh, first uneasily, but the warmly. We were all okay. We were all fine. We were all safe._

_And then The Pig had died, and she never woken up again._

"Are you worried?" Ronan asked as he turned off his BMW.

I gave a long sigh, the kind I used to do when I had to convince myself to walk into my old...into Robert's home.

"Of...of course not," I managed, but still wrapped my hand around Ronan's unsuspecting hand. He smiled knowingly, his hand tightening around mine before letting go.

"Of course not. So let's get to class."

I glared at him. The only reason he was so eager was because he knew it was making me uncomfortable.

"Ronan, you're an ass."

He gave me a long, loving kiss that made my head spin before he opened his door and got out.

"I'm yours," he grinned. "Or, I would like to be in yours."

I flushed bright red and wondered if my entire day would be me keeping Ronan from saying something sexual. I got out of the car and stared at my boyfriend.

_My boyfriend..._

My breathing immediately hitched, and I had to remind myself that I actually did deserve some piece of happiness. Even if it was sharp and abrasive, it was mine. I closed my eyes and took a breath before I reached into the car and grabbed my backpack.

I winced as pain shot up my side. Still, I refused to take the painkillers the doctor had prescribed. It was mostly due to the fact that I couldn't properly function while on them, and there was no way I was going to miss anymore class.

Ronan noticed my pain and moved to take my bag before thinking better of it. I smiled inwardly as we walked into the school.

_**Noah**_

I wondered if anyone even noticed that I didn't go to school today.

**And so the plot begins! But, "bad news from the zone, tumbleweeds." Yet another hiatus I must go on! Promise that is won't be as long as the last one! Just until midterms are over! I would really appreciate some reviews for this story, guys! It'll help to improve my writing style! Constructive criticism is ALWAYS welcome! Until next time, Hunt Club!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Prettiest Shade of You

**A/N: Hey, everyone! So, I've brought you a cheerful filler chapter! Where have I been, you may ask? Why, on _academic probation_. This has never happened before, so I painfully and dutifully studied until I brought my grades up! Just enough to justify them giving my computer back! So, hopefully this is the start of a long, long beginning of this series! Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Poor Adam would have gone through so much worse if I did own the Raven Cycle... Whoo!**

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_**Chapter Three: The Prettiest Shade of You **__**Gansey**_

I tapped my pen rapidly against my English textbook as I waited for the teacher to dismiss us for lunch. With everything that had happened-with the new news about Adam and Ronan-I hadn't told them what we'd found from our trip in the helicopter. The giant raven on the mountain had been an obvious sign.

_Glendower wants me to find him_, I thought, but before I could entertain that thought, Jane popped into my head.

She had looked like she had cried when she got into the helicopter, and I had wondered if she and Adam had fought. Now I knew the real reason, but then I had just wanted to make her smile. Of course, I had-I still don't honestly-no idea how to make a self-empowered feminist like Jane smile, so I had simply buckled myself into the helicopter and watched as Noah had petted her hair sympathetically.

_I wonder if Jane's smiling today?_

I quickly banished the thought. I needed to find Glendower. That was my main objective and should be the only thing on my mind.

But of course it wasn't.

_Jane has the prettiest eyes...I wonder if there are any boys at her school that tell her she has pretty eyes?_

I ignored the sudden wave of unmerited jealousy than washed over me. It wasn't like Jane was mine now that she and Adam weren't together.

"_Mr. Gansey_," Mr. Milo suddenly groaned and I stopped my pen mid-tap. "_Thank you_."

I noticed that Mr. Milo had been more on edge lately. I wondered if it had anything to do with him stopping smoking. The bell rung before I had a chance to really think about it. I gathered my things and left before someone tried to talk to me.

I needed to find Adam and Ronan and tell them what I saw.

As soon as I stepped into the hall, I felt like I was being watched, which was ridiculous. There were at least a hundred students and half that many teachers milling around. I was just being paranoid because we were getting so close to Glendower.

"Gansey!"

_And sometimes you're being watched_.

I turned to see a member of the row team trying to catch up to me.

_If I hadn't turned around, I could have kept walking and pretended I didn't hear him._

I waved the three-fingered salute and tried to disappear before he could make it to me. In the crowd, it wasn't hard.

I made my way out of the school and to the parking lot to look for Ronan and Adam. They'd probably already be at Ronan's BMW. I would have texted to ask, but Ronan seemed allergic to cells.

_I wonder if we could get Adam a cell phone now and say it's a congratulations gift_?

I shook my head, knowing he wouldn't accept it.

_Maybe I could buy a new one and offer him my old one?_

But I loved my phone.

Yes, I lost it on a regular basis, but I'd had it for an entire year without having managed some way destroying it. The screen was even still intact.

"You seem in a hurry, Dick Three. Hot date for lunch?"

I inwardly groaned at the familiar voice. I much prefered the row team member over _him_.

"Hello, Joseph," I replied and turned to see the pale teenager. "Don't you have somewhere you should be?"

_Like in a dumpster? Or a hipster bar? Wait, those were the same..._

"I'm flattered, Dick," he smiled as he removed his sunglasses to wipe them on his Aglionby sweater.

"That I believe you have somewhere to be?" I asked.

"That you think at all. Where's Lynch?"

Instead of answering him, I simply walked to my own vehicle.

The SUV was a rental that the guy at the shop had promised was "just my type." All it _was_ was really making me miss The Pig. I had called the mechanic on my way to school. He was suppose to tow her to the shop and call me when she was fixed. I didn't know how long it would take, but I felt like a soccer mom in the rental. I sighed and got in before calling Ronan on his cell.

_Ring...Ring...Ring...Ring...Ring...Ring...Ri-_

"Hello?"

It was Adam, and he sounded out of breath.

"Where are you guys?"

I heard scuffling and Adam mumble, "_Stop."_ and Ronan snicker before I actually got an answer. "We're on our way to the parking lot now."

I saw Kavinsky tapping his foot impatiently by the entrance door. He hadn't followed me to the Step-Child. That's what I decided I would name this thing for as long as I was forced to drive it.

"Watch out for Kavinsky. He's at the entrance."

"Okay," Adam spoke quickly and the line went dead.

_**Noah**_

I watched Chainsaw tearing into a piece of paper and scatter the pieces everywhere. I picked up one of the pieces and examined it. Suddenly, everything went black for eleven minutes.

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**I think I figured out how to do page breaks! Yay! So, I hope you enjoyed this nice piece of filler! I swear I'll write something far more substantial soon to go with Noah's little cliff-hanger! Keep rocking, everyone and have an awesome Spring Break!  
**


	4. Chapter 4: The Easiest Thing to Break

**A/N: And here we go! I hope you all enjoy and thank you all who read this story! I am so very grateful!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but a wicked sense of humor! Everything Raven Cycle-y belongs to Lady Maggie. Enjoy!**

**P. S. Really trying to make these chapter titles as misleading as possible sometimes!**

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_**Chapter Four: The Easiest Thing to Break **__**Noah**_

I listened as Gansey told the others about what we had seen from the helicopter.

"A giant raven on the side of the mountain?" Ronan asked as he shoved nearly an entire slice of pizza into his mouth. "Was it carved into the rock?"

Adam was sitting closely beside him nibbling on a pepperoni. His mind seemed to be somewhere else, and I could guess why. But of course, it was never my place to tell my friends' secrets.

"It looked like it was raised," Gansey smiled emphatically, though even his eyes kept glancing toward the waitresses. I knew he was looking for Blue, but that was ridiculous. She was still at school. It apparently didn't stop him from looking though. "I wrote the coordinates down. We can check it out after school."

"You aren't eating again?"

I looked up to Adam's pale eyes, his eyebrows knit with what was probably concern. Though he could have just eaten a bad pepperoni.

"I don't eat," I shrugged, and this led on to the usual argument I had with Ronan which always went something kind of like:

"What do you mean you 'don't eat'?"

"I have no interest in it."

"You have no _interest_ in it? Do you have an interest in starving to death?"

"I'm already dead."

-and then that always led to the whole other argument of my self-esteem or something. I was really grateful for my friends, but I didn't see how they expected to find the Raven King if they were so oblivious and closed-minded.

Finally, Gansey shook his head, silencing the arguing.

"Noah never eats and he doesn't look any different. Just leave him alone unless it becomes a problem."

Ronan looked like he wanted to make it a problem, but eventually dropped it. Even he knew when to stop beating a dead horse.

"We're going to be late," Adam finally spoke up, sounding as if he had just materialized.

_Did he fall asleep?_

He looked like he had, or almost had, but I also didn't comment on this. I was good at holding my tongue after all these years.

"Do you need a ride?" Gansey asked as he paid for the pizza. Adam looked uncomfortable, and it took me a moment to realize he was talking to me.

"No," I shook my head and slid out of the booth.

I simply walked away, because I didn't know how to tell them I hadn't gone to Aglionby in years. That Noah hadn't existed in years. So I simply went outside and...

_**Gansey**_

I couldn't hide my excitement as I drove the Step-Child toward the coordinates that I had written down in my journal. The GPS that I had bought right after we touched down in the helicopter beeped solemnly as I came to a stop. I looked out of the windshield. There was no way I would be able to drive through all the foliage that the thin path had become.

"Time for a hike, guys," I announced to the audience. Jane sat in the passenger seat beside me, tapping her nails against the armrest. I could tell she was eager to see whatever the raven had led too as well.

Ronan and Adam were in the back, but we hadn't been able to find Noah in time and eventually, the overwhelming need to _go_ took over, and we left without him.

We all spilled out of the awful rental and continued to follow the steadily increasing beeps of the GPS. Electricity filled my veins as I realized that we would find _something_. It was too perfect to be coincidence. Besides, I didn't believe in coincidences.

The trees became thicker and the GPS became sporadic before finally dying just as we reached our destination. Ronan let out a low whistle but otherwise remained silent. The air felt super-charged and there was just this impossible _feeling_ that told me we were near a ley line. There was a sudden _crick_ under my foot, and I stopped and looked down.

A clam shell-something that had no business this far inland-had been crushed under my shoe.

"What's that doing here?" Jane asked as she came to stand beside me. She was close enough that I could feel her heat against me. I closed my eyes for a second just to enjoy it before I remembered where and why we were there in the first place.

Though my mind had changed to _Blue TV_, my mouth apparently hadn't because I could hear myself saying something about Glendower. Even as I was thinking, _She has the most beautiful eyes_, I was saying, "-traveled across the ocean-" _Her mouth-if she smiled at me! And her hair!_

Jane gave me a weird look, and I suddenly wondered if some of my thoughts had come aloud. But she simply smiled, and I realized it must have just been my excessive knowledge on Glendower that earned me the look.

_But she smiled!_

I smiled to myself before we continued to trek further into the almost-forest. That's all I could call what we were in. It wasn't woods-there were far too many bushes for it to be a simple wood-but it wasn't a forest yet either. But it seemed it was quickly turning into one.

And then we found it.

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**I just want to give mad thanks to everyone from all the countries (one admittedly I had to look up to see where it was) that read my fics! This is the order on the graph, but I love you all equally!**

**United States**

**United Kingdom**

**Germany**

**Australia**

**Poland**

**Dominican Revar**

**Ireland**

**Nigeria**

**Canada**

**Egypt**

**China**

**You guys are all amazing! It blows my mind that people from so many other countries are reading this! I hope you all and maybe more continue to read this series and continue to comment! Comments make me so happy I could fly! Keep rocking, everyone!**


	5. Chapter 5: Haunted

**A/N: Hey, guys! I am so sorry for the random hiatus! I loss internet connection for forever! Also, dealing with being an orphan. Mad props to Annie because I find this mess really hard. Anywho, so mucho thanks to darling Sarah for that ever-so-inspiring review! It brightened my day up so much I wrote this! I hope you all enjoy!**

_**Chapter Five: Haunted**_

Whelk growled as the voices in his head crescendoed into chaos. Sadly, he was again stuck in his classroom as this new wave of pain washed over him. He had long ago stopped trying to figure out exactly what the voices were saying to him-or if they actually _were_ talking to him.

Before what he had done in Cabeswater had really sunk in, he had tried to continue to figure out the mystery the place had offered, but it had all been for nothing.

He _didn't seem to think so._

Thinking about Gansey and his friends seemed to add to the pain pulsating in Whelk's head, especially when he really thought about what would happen if they actually found Glendower. That favor was _his_. Czerny hadn't... couldn't have died in vain.

"You're still here, Barry?"

Whelk looked up to see Jonah Milo in his cheerful clothing. He was cleanly shaven and his hair had been swept out of his face so Whelk could see the pure bubbly happiness in his eyes.

"So are you," Whelk sighed as he buried his face in his hands. Milo's cheerfulness was just another nail to his skull, and he did _not_ feel like babysitting a grown man. He already had to deal with all the teenage boys who would rather be spending Daddy and Mommy's money. Milo seemed to sense this and sighed himself, running a nervous hand through his combed hair.

"Do you think..."

Whelk internally groaned. The silence between the two lasted a good minute before Milo cleared his throat.

"Do you think that later, after you're finished here, that maybe we could get a drink?"

Whelk looked at him coldly, mostly because that was what surprise looked like on his young face. Milo fidgetted under his gaze and scratched his his jaw self-consciously.

"It's Monday."

Milo nodded, too shocked that Whelk hadn't turned him down immediately. He remained silent, waiting for the vicious rejection that was sure to come.

"Is there some reason you want to go drinking on a Monday?" Whelk asked, his voice coming out gruffer than intended. Milo tried to shrug nonchalantly, but it just seemed nervous and unsure.

"You just looked like you could really use a drink and someone to... You looked like you could use some fun."

Another silence, this time longer, spanned between them as Whelk contemplated an answer. The voices seemed to calm a bit as Milo walked closer to stand in front of him, and Whelk decided not to investigate why.

"No," Whelk finally answered, and Milo's smile wavered a bit as he nodded.

"I understand. You do seem pretty busy an-"

"Coffee tomorrow?"

Milo would have thought he'd died. Never had he actually thought that he'd actually respond. He realized he was gripping Whelk's desk tight enough that his knuckles had turned white, and he had yet to answer Whelk.

Unlike him, Whelk didn't seem nervous at all. Milo beamed at him and nodded. "Sounds great!" And then Milo left before Whelk could take his offer back. Whelk watched him leave, wondering if the voices had changed the hard-wiring. Never had he thought that he'd be nice to someone like Jonah Milo. Or that he'd be turning down alcohol. But he knew exactly what a classroom full of entitled brats pretending to learn Latin while he suffered from a hangover was like. So he wisely had opted out.

_But why did you have to try to make it up to him?_

He doubted he'd ever know the answer to it, so he just buried his face in his hands again and waited for the voices to settle so that he could finish grading the papers and leave.

Gansey's journal popped into his head. The boy was always scribbling in it or reading over it while in his class. Whelk knew it must have had something to do with his search for the Welsh king, and a sudden idea floated to his jumbled mind. If he wanted to know how far he'd gotten into his research for Glendower, he'd have to steal that journal.

_**Noah**_

No...

**And now we have reached the semi-halfway point for Insincere! I figured I'd give poor Barry a shot at the limelight for a bit a drop of happiness before the envitable...probably happens. Since I'm on a cell, still no promises as to when updates will be, but thank you all so much for reading! Please review! They make me happy and apparently update faster! Also, pray I don't get blown away in this storm! Woo! Keep rocking and no mass homicides! It's unbecoming!**


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